Worth knowing:
The Common Centaury was already appreciated by Hippokrates and Hildegard of Bingen and is still a well-esteemed medicinal plant today. It belongs to the gentian family and is due to its bitterness particularly used as a medicinal plant against indigestion. The name Common Centaury goes back to an old legend that tells about a rich man who had heartburn, and offered a thousand guilder to whoever could bring him a medicinal herb to cure him. The annual or biennial plant grows 20 to 50 cm tall, and produces from June until September, on its four-sided stalks a bunch of star-shaped rosy flowers of simple beauty that only open up with a temperature of 20 °Celsius.
Natural Location:
The Common Centaury is under conservation and not so often be found in Europe. Occasionally it grows on sunny, semi-arid or fresh meadows and wood glades in altitudes of up to 1200 meters.
Cultivation:
Seed propagation indoors is possible throughout the year. However, a pre-cultivation and planting out later on, would be ideal. Seeding directly in the garden bed or in a tub outdoors can also be done from April onwards. Spread the fine seeds onto moist potting compost and put just a little compost earth on top. Cover the seed container with clear film to prevent the earth from drying out, but don’t forget to make some holes in the clear film and take it every second or third day completely off for about 2 hours. That way you avoid mold formation on your potting compost. Place the seed container somewhere bright and warm with a temperature between 20°C and 25°Celsius and keep the earth moist, but not wet. It will take two to four weeks until germination, and in May you can plant the small seedlings out.
Place:
The Common Centaury prefers a half-shaded or sunny location and a rather dry than moist place.
Care:
All aerial parts of the blossoming plant have medicinal use after you harvested and dried them in an airy, shaded place with preferably through draught.
During the winter:
The Common Centaury is fully frost-hard.
Picture credits:
- © © Franz Eugen Köhler - Public domain - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/publicdomain/
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Franz Eugen Köhler - Public domain - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/publicdomain/
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